Psalms 118:24
For thy testimonies are my meditation: and thy justifications my counsel. DALETH
Open Psalms 118:24 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Nam et testimonia tua meditatio mea est, et consilium meum justificationes tuæ.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ γὰρ τὰ μαρτύριά σου μελέτη μού ἐστιν, καὶ αἱ συμβουλίαι μου τὰ δικαιώματά σου.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 119:24
- גַּֽם עֵ֭דֹתֶיךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָ֗י אַנְשֵׁ֥י עֲצָתִֽי
Haydock's commentary
Counsel. Hebrew, "the princes of my counsel." (Houbigant) in opposition to those who endeavoured to make him fall, ver. 23. (Haydock)
The laws of God afford the best advice. An ancient king observed, that the dead were the best counsellors, as they will not flatter, &c. (Calmet)
In every trial, we must reflect on the rewards and punishments held out. (Worthington)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Gimel
24. “Princes also did sit and speak against me: but Thy servant is exercised in Thy statutes” ( ver. 23 ). Thou who desirest to know what sort of exercise this was, understand what he hath added, “For Thy testimonies are my meditation, and Thy statutes are my counsellors” ( ver. 24 ). Remember what I have above instructed you, that testimonies are acts of martyrdom. Remember that among the statutes of the Lord there is none more difficult and more worthy of admiration, than that every man should love his enemies. Thus then the body of Christ was exercised, so that it meditated on the acts of martyrdom that testified of Him, and loved those from whom, while they rebuked and despised the Church for these very martyrdoms, she suffered persecutions.…
St Gregory Nazianzen In Defence of His Flight to Pontus, and His Return, After His Ordination to the Priesthood, with an Exposition of the Character of the Priestly Office
115. By these arguments I charmed myself, and by degrees my soul relaxed and became ductile, like iron, and time came to the aid of my arguments, and the testimonies of God, to which I had entrusted my whole life, were my counsellors. Therefore I was not rebellious, neither turned away back, saith my Lord, when, instead of being called to rule, He was led, as a sheep to the slaughter; but I fell down and humbled myself under the mighty hand of God, and asked pardon for my former idleness and disobedience, if this is at all laid to my charge. I held my peace, but I will not hold my peace for ever: I withdrew for a little while, till I had considered myself and consoled my grief: but now I am commissioned to exalt Him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the seat of the elders. If my former conduct deserved blame, my present action merits pardon.